Skeletons in the new Cabinet Soon Li Tsin | Mar 2908
Skeletons are still ratting in Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawis
trimmed down, self-dubbed "reform cabinet", despite the departure of several
scandal-ridden personalities.
Abdullah has said the police and Anti-Corruption Agency have vetted and
cleared the current crop for appointment to ministerial portfolios.
Malaysiakini ran their names through the archives, to see how free of taint
they really are - with unsurprising results for those who have been following
our year-end X-files series. No, Christmas has not come early this year!
On the other side of the political fence, some in the government-in-waiting
and opposition state governments are being pursued by a few bogeys of their own.
BARISAN NASIONAL
Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
Allegedly bought ACJ 319 VIP jet from Airbus costing between US$55 million
and US$60 million, but denied the claim in January last year, saying that the
government had only leased the aircraft from national carrier Malaysia Airlines
Bhd and that that the plane was not for his use alone.
Alleged by Turkish newspaper Hurriyet to have ordered a RM30 million
super-luxury yacht in August 2006, alongside a claim that he had been in Bodrum
to check on progress - Abdullah denied it and was mulling legal action against
the newspaper
Initially linked to ownership of a RM60 million mansion in Perth, Australia,
in April 2007 but subsequent reports quoting son-in-law Khairy Jamaluddin said
the house belongs to the PMs son, Kamaludin.
Implicated in a UN agency independent report in the worldwide oil-for-food
scandal involving Saddam Husseins Iraq, but denied doing anything more than
signing papers endorsing people in business.The report traced payment of US$10
million by Mastek Sdn Bhd, originally registered as a sawn timber company and a
dormant company revived by Abdullahs sister-in-law Noor Asiah Mahmood, her
ex-husband Faek Ahmad Shareef and businessperson Jaya Sudhir.
Awarded the RM25 billion Penang Global City Centre project to Abad Naluri -
a 25 percent-owned associate firm of Taman Equine which is wholly owned by
developer Equine Capital, whose executive chairman Patrick Lim has close ties
to Abdullah
Awarded the RM3.4 billion Penang monorail project to Penang Port and Scomi
Group, in which. Kamaludin holds the controlling stake; Scomi has also been
refurbishing railway coaches for Malayan Railway, acting as contractors to
Petronas and has reportedly made a bid for the Penang Second bridge project.
In February 2004, BBC reported that Scomi subsidiary, Scomi Precision
Engineering Sdn Bhd was making centrifuge for export to Libya, for nuclear
devices. Two years later, the CEO and four executives of Mitutoyo Corporation
were arrested by the Tokyo police for the connection of sale of equipment to
Scomi, for the production of these centrifuge. Scomi disclaimed knowledge of
the intended use of the parts.
Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak
In 2002, the Defence Ministry bought three submarines costing RM4.5 billion
through a company controlled by close friend and political analyst Abdul Razak
Baginda who was paid RM530 million in commission.
The ministry purchased Sukhoi 30-MKM fighter jets worth RM3.2 billion from
Russia in 2003 and brokered the deal to send the first Malaysian into space
last year at a cost of RM90 million.
Six offshore patrol vessels were delivered so late that contract value shot
up from RM4.9 billion to RM6.75 billion - relevant documents were destroyed
last September
Indirectly linked to the murder of Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu
in 2006, for which two members of his security detail and Abdul Razak Baginda
are currently on trial; Altantuyas cousin testified that there is a photograph
of Altantuya and Najib, taken in France
Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Mohd Johari Baharum
Embroiled in an allegation that he allegedly received RM5.5 million to free
three underworld members from detention, but the Attorney-General later cleared
him
Second Finance Minister Nor Mohamed Yakcop
Involved in the currency speculation scandal in the early 1990s, when Bank
Negara lost up to RM30 billion
Deputy Home Minister Chor Chee Heong
Caught in apparent conflict of interest in the RM4.6 billion Port Klang Free
Zone project; he was Port Klang Authority chairperson and deputy chairperson of
Wijaya International (parent company of project developer Kuala Dimensi)
Works Minister Mohd Zin Mohamad
Alleged to have been party to fraud, corruption and bribery - which he has
denied - in relation to complaints that his air-cargo company, Silkways Cargo
Services Ltd, had under-declared the weight of shipments ferried by Malaysia
Airlines in 2001; business partner Sheikh Farid Ahmed in Bangladesh was charged
for money laundering last year and reportedly admitted to having paid around
RM4.2 million in monthly installments to Mohd Zin.
Education Minister Hishammuddin Hussein
As Umno Youth chief, he brandished a keris at the partys general assembly
in 2005 and again last year; non-Malays did not buy his explanation that the
gesture has cultural significance to Malays
Rural and Regional Development Minister Muhammad Muhd Taib
Charged in Australia - but was cleared - of making a false declaration on
carrying in the equivalent of RM2.4 million equivalent in different currencies
in December 1996 and knowingly ignoring conditions in a statutory declaration
by declaring only assets worth RM10.82 million and AUD3.46 million. He admitted
during the trial at the Brisbane District Court that he bought several
properties worth more than RM17 million in Australia and New Zealand under the
name of his wife Asbi Rohani Asnan. The ACA investigated and cleared him, but
he resigned as Selangor menteri besar.
Tourism Minister Azalina Othman
As sports minister in the previous cabinet, was caught in the proposal
floated last year to set up the RM70 million Sports High-Performance Training
Centre in Brickendonbury near London; the East Hertforshire Council Development
Control Committee rejected the proposal.
Led Umno's battle in cyberspace ahead of the general election that just
ended by assembling a team of writers from every state to counter allegations
about the party and its leadership on certain websites.
Has been rumoured as a lesbian in 2002 which she has denied and responded
with police reports. She also allegedly bought her lover a RM300,000 Mercedes
car that year, an allegation which she also denied.
Deputy Tourism Minister Sulaiman Abdul Rahman Abu Taib
Alleged involvement in assaulting former television personality Avaa Vanja
Ramli in a Kuala Lumpur nightspot in April 2003. In her police report made
after she was assaulted in a popular KL bistro, Avaa named Sulaiman as her
boyfriend who had allegedly pushed and strangled her. Sulaiman, son of Sarawak
Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud, is married with four children.
OPPOSITION
Padang Serai parliamentarian N Gobalakrishnan
The PKR national integration chief has several outstanding criminal charges
against him. This includes a charge for obstructing a police officer from
discharging his duties in 2002 in Georgetown and partaking in an unlawful
assembly at the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) rally at Batu Caves last
year.
Selangor Mentri Besar and Bandar Tun Razak MP Abdul Khalid Ibrahim
The former chief executive of Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB) allegedly
owed Bank Islam Malaysia RM175 million to purchase 6.5 per cent of shares from
Kumpulan Guthrie Bhd in 1994 which became a non-performing loan (NPL) absorbed
by Bank Islam as losses. He was also accused of buying those additional shares
at a lower price at RM2.30 when PNB was selling it for RM2.98. Khalid has
denied all claims. Khalid in 2005 sued PNB and Bank Islam Malaysia claiming he
had been denied the right to buy the remaining 135 million Guthrie shares.
Batu MP Tian Chua
Charged for participating in illegal assemblies and injuring a police
officer during the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih) mass
demonstration on Nov 10 and when the movement wanted to hand a memorandum to
Parliament on Dec 11 last year. Chua has been arrested numerous times since
1998 and was detained under the Internal Security Act for two years in 2001 for
threatening national security. He was also investigated for attempted murder of
a police officer during a village demolition exercise in Kampung Berembang last
year.
Bukit Jelutong MP Jeff Ooi
Ooi was sued last year by the News Straits Times Press (NSTP), its deputy
chairperson Kalimullah Hassan, group editor-in-chief Hishamudin Aun and former
group editor Brendan Pereira over alleged defamatory blog postings. The trial
is still on-going in the Kuala Lumpur High Court.
Kelana Jaya MP Loh Gwo Burne
Recorded the scandalous VK Lingam video clip in 2002 which brought the
countrys judiciary into the spotlight. During his testimony in the royal
commission of inquiry, he said he had 'burned' a copy of the recording for
another lawyer, the late Manjit Singh on the basis that the latter might find
it "interesting to check out". The video was revealed on Sept 19 last year by
PKR who has declined to reveal their whistleblowers.
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